Wednesday, December 30, 2015

On the eve of 2016, I’ve been thinking about goals, not resolutions but goals. To me the difference is resolutions lack clarity, lack specifics and can be way too broad for example “I want to lose weight”; ok that’s great but how?

As I work in human resources I’m often helping people with goals, work goals yes but the same theory applies. The key is break down the big goal into smaller goals that lend themselves to the big goal. Are they smart goals?

What’s a smart goal, you’ll see different forms of definitions that more or less mean the same thing but this is my definitions.

S – Simple

M – Manageable

A – Attainable

R- Realistic

T – Timely

Now one of my goals is to lose weight, my specific big goal is to get goal weight by December 2016.

How am I going to do this? Focus on the steps to get me there not on a number per month.

The goals:

Track my SmartPoints every day – Track it on the app and in my journal. Why twice? Well right now I need the app to learn the new SmartPoints but I like the journal because I can record when I eat and if I’m actually hungry or not. For example do I seriously need a snack 1 hour after lunch?

Drink 6 cups of water a day – I have a plastic Venti Starbuck cup (which holds 3 cups) at my desk and access to free sparkling water at work plus I’m pretty much addicted to making my own Perrier with my SodaStream at home. I also have another one of these cups at home.

Activity:

•Go back to Body Pump 2 days a week – schedule it in my calendar, pack the gym bag the night before.

•Run/Walk 3 days a week – schedule it in my calendar, pack the gym bag the night before

•Yoga – 2 days a week – my ultimate goal is 7 days a week so this will be modified as I go along. Roll out my yoga mat so when I get home it’s there looking at me.

•Meditate – one day a week, again the goal here is 7 days but I find this hard to shut my brain down without having a nap. Probably because whenever I try this I’m laying down. I need to try this sitting. I have no excuses I have Deepak Chopra CDs that I’ve also uploaded on my phone.

Read one book a month, I used to be a voracious reader and not sure when that fell off. It can be a fun, frilly book or “a learn something” book. I should actually update my Goodreads stuff and get more books I’ve read out there into Little Libraries after I’ve registered them with Bookcrossing.

Motivation:

It’s been hard for me for a long while as I was in a funk: an unhappy at my job funk, the sadness of releasing so many employees funk, an unemployed funk, the angry I’m unemployed funk, the will I ever find a job funk, while at home I don’t want to get out of my pajamas funk, a first Christmas at home since my Dad passed away funk, a low self esteem funk but in the last few weeks I’m feeling more like myself again.

A big part of that I think is now working at a company that isn’t as completely stressed out as the last one. Even though I know my contract is up in a year, I feel that during this year I can truly focus on my health goals. My stress isn’t nearly as high as it’s been for the past few years plus being surrounded by nice, friendly people helps a lot. Getting back into a routine has helped a lot too. I know I’m good at what I do and think I’ve impressed a few folks already so that’s in check.

Now it’s working on the internal stuff like I’ve got my act together and silencing any negative thoughts.

It’s a half day tomorrow so I’ll do a bit of grocery shopping just to set up a healthy weekend.

On the 1st I want to clean my house, the 2nd I get back to my Saturday Weightwatcher meetings and then back for Dopey/ Star Wars on Jan 3rd. Then it’s one day of work and then off to Orlando.

I do love my WW meetings, my leader is awesome and my peeps (the other attendees) are awesome.

I can’t believe I leave in less than one week for the craziest run goals I’ve ever attempted and going into it unprepared but positive – what the heck is that?

To keep my goals while I’m away I’ve preordered groceries to be delivered to my hotel room for the first time ever. I decided to try this because Orlando will be humid and there will be many exceptionally early wakeup times; just for Dopey that will be 4 days in a row of getting up ridiculously early. Actually my flight from Orlando to LAX and my flight home are all ridiculously early so it will be many days in a row of getting up at 2am ish.

I’ve actually started to go to bed a little earlier to start the sleep conditioning.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

I've been at my new job for 5 weeks and I absolutely love it. Everyone is super nice, I feel like I have my work mojo back as I'm not laying hundreds of people off but rather doing what I do best and that's helping leaders with their people.

I will miss this these people when that contract finishes, though they keep telling me things are always changing so who knows what the next year will bring.

I went to the Avengers Half Marathon weekend and had a ton of fun, and finished the 5K, 10K and Half Marathon. Had a super great day with two of my Californian friends and finally saw Phantasmic. Thrilled that I got to ride Hyper Space Mountain, otherwise known as Space Mountain.

Decided to not continue Barr as it's too expensive.

With the new job I've had to adjust to new hours as everyone works later then in my previous job. Just getting used to getting back into the swing of things took a few weeks. It's amazing how quick pajama days took over my time off.

Weightwatchers introduced a new plan called Beyond The Scale but I like to call it War on Sugar, this has taken some adjustment and made me realize I was consuming a lot of sugar. I honestly think this will be the plan to get me to goal. I absolutely adore the new 3 week trackers. Especially Jean Nidetch's quote on the cover "it's choice not chance that determines your destiny".

I actually made it to a meeting all through the Christmas holidays. My leader tells me I'd be a natural WW leader...we shal see.

Speaking of Christmas I do hope everyone had a happy and peaceful one.

This was my first solo Christmas at home since my Dad passed away, I preferred to spend it on my own but avoided most Christmas stuff. I put up very minimal decorations and avoided Christmas movies and tv shows. Instead I finished watching Star Wars Clone Wars the animated series.

I did find the days leading up to it difficult as everyone was talking about their plans with their families. I kept quiet. The last few years I'd be planning to go away so without anything like that to plan it felt different.

Speaking of going way. It only a few more weeks before I leave for Dopey. I'm not worried about the 5k, 10k and Half but the Full Marathon is freaking me out. My training has been awful since I went to Edmonton months ago. On the plus side I've done one before so I know a big part of this will be mental. I will probably be walking it and I don't care if I come in last, walk across that finish line with the balloon ladies. The important thing to me is upright and smiling as one week later I'll be off to Disneyland for the Rebel Challenge, this is my favourite Disneyland run. I plan to keep going to this one.

I won't be back in August for Dumbo Double Dare in 2016 mainly because I ran out of vacation. I will be back for Tinkerbell in May.

So from now till I leave for Dopey my focus is still on run/walks and hydration. It's going to be wicked humid in Florida.

My newly updated Windows 10 and my phone are not loading pictures at the moment but hopefully I'll get that sorted out soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I'll be back before New Years. I'm planing my goals for 2016 and I'll post them for accountability.